Saturday, December 26, 2015

Renowned pop star Jason Wood (famed for throwing photographers out of windows and punching old ladies through hedges), played by similarly renowned pop star Graham "Suggs" McPherson (famed for being the lead singer of Madness and doing the Nutty Dance) is having an accidental stopover at Norbridge Station.

The Junior Gazette wants to scoop everyone and get an exclusive interview with the famously difficult star, and the only way they're going to manage this is for Lynda to cynically manipulate one of her best friends, something she manages without even breaking a sweat, much to the amazement of Alirio, Chris and visiting elfin buddy Rose, in FRIENDS LIKE THESE.

Sunday, December 6, 2015

This is a very affecting episode, and Chris & Alirio are just two of the people affected by it. This is the sort of thing US viewers might think of as a Very Special Episode but it doesn't behave in the way that they may be used to from other series covering as sensitive a subject as the sexual abuse of a child and is all the better for it. Incredibly informative, balanced & moving and not even slightly patronising, it's a masterclass for any writer wanting to cover similar ground in children's fiction.